Windmill operating mechanism.



G. CUFF.

WINDMILL OPERATING MECHANISM.

APrucATioN man APR24. |913.

Patented June 22, 1915.

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(. CUFF.

WINDNIILL OPERATING MECHANISIVI.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24, |9l3.

L M L Y Patented Jun@ 22, 1915.

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THE NoRRls PETERS 60 PHOTU-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D4 C4 GEORGE CUFF, 0F IOYNETTE, WISCONSIN.

WINDIVILL OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed Apri124, 1913.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Curr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Poynette, in the county of Columbia and State of `Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Windmill Uperating Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to windmills for operating water pumps or other machinery.

@ne of the main objects of the invention is to overcome the usual wasting of time and power in windmills, due to the fact that the wind wheel'rotates a crank and the latter operates a rod or pitman by means of which a single-acting pump or like device is put into actual service only during one-half of each revolution of the crank. Y

Also other objects are attained, as will hereinafter be fully described and pointed out in the claims; reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved windmill applied to a single-acting well-pump. Fig. 2 is a portion of what is shown in Fig. 1 with one of the wheels 19 omitted. Fig. 3 is an enlarged partly secj tional view on the line o o Fig. 1 with some parts omitted. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 5 5 Fig. 1 showing the rear side of the saddle frame 6. Fig. 5 is a further enlarged top view of the frame 6 with its cap removed. Fig. 6 is a top view of the cap removed from Fig. 5, and the sheave mounted therein.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 1 designates the platform covering a well, and upon which a single-acting pump 2 is arranged for pumping water from the well. Upon said platform, or adjacent the same, is erected the tower 3 of the windmill. rlhe top of the tower is provided with a metallic head 4, in whichis journaled a tubular downward extension 5 of a saddle casting or frame 6 adapted to rotate about a vertical axle central with the tower. The tube 5 may extend as far down in the tower as-desired so as to prevent bending of the pump operating rod 7 which reciprocates in the tube and is connected at 8 with the piston rod 9 of the pump.

Clamped by screws 10 in the split rear side of the frame 6 are the rods 11 of the vane 12 of the mill. The upper portion of the frame 6 is provided with four vertical.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 22, 1915.

Serial No. 763,293.

slots 1 3, (see Fig. 5) in which are guided four ribs of a crosshead 14, which is xed on the top end of the operating rod 7, and is operated by a bifurcated pitman 15, which has its upper ends pivoted at 16 to the crosshead and its lower ends provided with antifriction rollers 17, (best shown to the left in Fig. 3) which are inserted in concentric grooves 18 of two wheels 19. Said wheels 19 are fixed one at each end of a horizontal shaft 20, at the middle of which is fixed a worm-gear 21, rotating in a slot 22 in the front side of the frame 6. The shaft is journaled in forwardly open bearings 23 (best shown in Figs. 2 and 3) projecting one from each side of the frame and finally closed by inserted journal blocks 2-1, which are held in place by journal boxes 25, which encircle the parts 23 and 24 and constitute the integral hangers of a secondary frame 26. In said frame 26 is journaled a shaft 27, carrying at one end a worm-screw 28, which is permanently engaged with the worm gear 21, and at the other end a wind wheel 29.

0n the top of the frame 6 is secured by screws 30 a cap 31 having an aperture 32 and a space 33 in which a sheave 34 is mounted. Guided over said sheave is a chain or other flexible element 35, which has one end secured at 36 to the front end of the frame 26 and its other end passed down through the frame 6 and the tube 5 and secured either to a cleat like 37 on the pumping rod, or to a winding drum 37X mounted on a post 38 and provided with a crank 39 and ratchet teeth 40 in which a weighted ratchet dog 41 is arranged to engage and hold the vframe 26 in horizontal position when the windwheel is in operable position, or to hold said frame in the vertical position shown in dotted line in Fig. 1 with the windwheel edgewise to the wind and above the top of the frame 6.

Extending from the lug 42 of the frame 26, and slidable in the aperture 32 in the cap 31, is a rod 43, having its upper end provided with a nut 44 and a spring 15 partly compressed between the nut and the cap 31, said spring serving as a cushion when the wind wheel is suddenly lowered into active position. At the lower end of the rod is a similar spring' 46 with a washer 47 placed. loosely at the top of it. This spring serves as a cushion against the cap 81 when the wind-wheel is suddenlyv thrown upward out of the wind.

Turning again to the wheels-19, it will be noted that adjacent the inner curve of the groove 18 is a circular row of catches 49', pivoted at 48 and normally held yieldingly inL a radial position by a circular spring 50, which contacts with a flattened. point or face of each catch. Each of said catches can, however, swingonly in one direction on its pivot, it being obstructed in the other direction. by a lug 51 on the wheel (as best shown in Fig. 1).

In the operationAl of the device, when the windv wheel turns the worm screw and the worm gear, the Wheels 19 will rotate in the direction indicated by an arrow in Fig. 1 and. thus in each wheel one of the catches willv carryv theA roller 17' from the lowest to the highest. position in the groove 18 and thereby pull the pump piston its full. stroke upward. As soon as the roller 175 is carriedf slightly beyond the dead-center in the top of. the wheel' 1.9, the weight of the cross head 14 and the pump rod pulls the roller instantly down to its lowest position in. the groove 18, the catches 49.' yielding. before it, andl upon reaching said lowest position the catch nearest behind it almost at once engages the roller and causes the pitman 15 to impart the next upward stroke of the pump piston, and so on, the pump is kept in practically continuous water-raising. ac-

tion, and can thus pump nearly twice as much water in a given. time as. it. would pump. withy the ordinary crank action well known in this art.

What, I claim is 1f. Ina wind'y mill mounted in! a suitable tower and frame work, a vertically reciprocating rod, a pitman connected' with the rod, a wheel. having, pivoted supports, catches arranged tov engage; the pitman to raise it while moving upward half a turn of the wheel, said catches being yiel'dable away from their supportsto permit the pitman to return quickly downward ahead of the turning. of the. wheel' to the lowest position relative; to the. wheel, and apower transmitting wheel operatively connected with the wheel having the.A cat ches.`

2. In a wind mill, the combination of a tower, a frame mounted to rotate about a vertical axis at the top of the tower and having a central opening, a rod` extending down through said' opening, a cross-head secured. to the top of` the rod and guided to slide vertically in the frame, a pitman having its upper end pivoted to the crosshead and. its lower end provided' with a horizontally disposed roller, a horizontally disposed. shaftv mounted in the frame, a wheel fixed on the shaft and havingI in one side a concentric groove for the roller of the pitman to move in, catches pivoted on the wheel" adjacent the groove so as to engage the roller, said wheels having lugs to prevent the catches'fronr swinging in more than one direction, and a power transmitting wheel operatively connected with the shaft to-turn it.

3. In a wind mill, the combination of a tower, a frame mounted to rotate about a vertical axis at the top of the tower and having a. central opening, a rod extending down through said opening, a cross-head secured to the top end of the rod and guided to slide vertically in the frame, a pitman havingv its upper end pivoted to the cross head and its lower end provided' with a horizontally disposed roller, a horizontally disposed shaft mounted in the frame, a wheel fixed on the shaft and having in one side a concentric groove for the roller of the pitman to move in, catches pivoted on the wheel adjacent the groove so as to engage the roller, said wheels having lugs to prevent the catches from swinging in more than one direction, and apower transmittingl wheel operatively connected with the shaft to turn it, and means for holding the catches yieldingly against the lugs.

4. In a wind mill, the. combination of a tower, a frame mounted to rotate about a vertical axis at the top of the tower and having: a central' opening, a. cross-head mounted' to slide up and down in the frame, a working` rod' extending from the cross head centrally down through the frame and the tower, a pitman having its ends bifurcated into two upper and two lower arms, the

upper arms being pivoted to two opposite sides ofthe cross-head, and the lower arms being each provided' with aA laterally projecting` antifriction roller, a shaft j ournaled ini the frame, two wheels fixed on the shaft, each of` said wheels having in one side a concentric groove for one of the antifriction rollers to move in, a series of concentrically arranged lugs on each wheel adjacent the.- groove, a spring-held catch pivotednear each lug so as to be supported' in one direction by the lug and? when thus supported adapted to engage the roller and carry it and the pitmanupward during half aV revolution of the, wheel, a power transmitting wheel, and operative connection he tween it and said shaft.

5'. In a wind mill and' mounted in a suitable frame and tower, a power-transmitting shaft and a worm-screw fixed on same, a worm-wheel driven by said worm-screw, a shaft-fixed' in the worm-wheel, a wheel fixed on each end of the worm-wheel shaft, and having, in one side a concentric groove and near the groove avseries of lugs, catches pvotally mounted near the groove and by said lugs allowedA to turn but one direction; a pitman having two downward arms, each arm provided with a roller fitting in one of In testimony whereof I aHiX my signathe oonofentrio grooves, s gross-headdglided ture, in presence of two witnesses.

in the ramework to si e up an own therein and pivotally secured to the pitman, GEORGE CUFF a working rod operated by the cross-head and adapted to operate working machinery at the base of the wind mill.

Witnesses W. J. ROATH,

DAVID MILLOVER.

Genies ef this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

Washington, 1D. C. 

